Children, and particularly very young children, are often attracted, out of natural curiosity, to electrical outlets. Poking a finger or other object into the outlet can result in severe injury due to electrical shock. Various devices have been developed to prevent such accidents. One such device is a flat plastic disk having a pair of integral prongs for insertion into the socket openings. That device, however, is often difficult to remove when one desires to make use of the outlet and is easily misplaced or lost after removal. Moreover, it often can be pried loose and removed by a child, thereby negating its usefulness.
Other outlet covers have been developed for weatherproofing and locking of outlets and for preventing drafts. An outlet cover with caps secured to a faceplate by flexible strips is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,349 issued Feb. 10, 1981 to Bennett. Prior art outlet covers have been expensive and complex in construction or have not provided the desired child-proof features.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved child-proof outlet cover.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an outlet cover that is easily opened by an adult for use of the outlet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an outlet cover that cannot be opened by a small child.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an outlet cover that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to install and operate.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an outlet cover which cannot be lost or misplaced when removed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an outlet cover wherein one socket of a dual outlet remains safely covered when the other socket is in use.